Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings Offer Strength, Beauty and a Lot More

You know what steel buildings look like, don’t you? Most people associate the term steel buildings with boxy, ungainly factory and warehouse buildings, often made of ridged or corrugated steel. They’re not just unattractive. Most people consider them downright ugly. Those people might be surprised to learn that many of the garages in their neighborhoods – garages that look just like any other garage – are actually pre-engineered steel buildings. These days, thanks to high-tech advances, steel buildings are not only durable, strong and lightweight, many of them are as much a treat for the eyes as they are for the pocketbook. If you’re considering putting up a new building for just about any purpose, be sure to take a look at the many advantages you’ll get if you decide to build with steel.

Affordability

Steel is one of the most affordable building materials available, and steel buildings tend to cost less per square foot than wood or masonry structures. If you go beyond the actual construction costs, however, you’ll find that steel buildings are even more affordable than you thought originally. Over the years, the total cost of ownership for a steel building is far lower than the cost of owning and maintaining wood and stone buildings.

Strength

Pound for pound, steel is stronger than nearly any other building material, particularly the most common ones, wood and stone. While you and I may not think of steel as being particularly lightweight, when you consider the weight needed to build a wood-frame or stone building of comparable size and strength, steel is practically featherweight. A properly engineered steel building can easily withstand loads that would crush a wooden building or fall through a shingled roof.

Low Maintenance

Forget about termite treatments. Termites aren’t terribly interested in steel buildings. Neither is mildew or mold. Squirrels, mice and chipmunks can’t chew on the beams to get material for nesting, so you’ll have much less of a problem with wildlife deciding that your new warehouse is a awesome home. In addition to that, you won’t have to repaint most steel buildings for 20 or so years. The only real maintenance you’ll need to do is washing down the exterior a couple of times a year.

Appearance

Today’s steel buildings are available in a wide variety of attractive styles – but that’s just a start. In fact, you can step well outside the traditional shapes and styles to create a metal building that’s completely customized to your own tastes. Why settle for a traditional building when you can design a steel building that will suit your needs – and your tastes – perfectly?

Why Steel Buildings Are the Perfect Choice for Horse Barns

Steel buildings are a common choice for equipment storage, garages and other buildings on the farm, but they offer stable owners a number of advantages when used as horse barns. If you’re looking to build a new horse barn or replace one of the horse barns on you property, check out these benefits of choosing steel buildings for your needs.

Design Flexibility

Steel buildings offer the most flexible design options of any type of construction. Depending on the style and size chosen, you can have completely clear floor space of 300 feet or more. Because most steel buildings don’t need interior support columns, the interior space is completely unobstructed. That makes them ideal not only as horse barns, but as riding arenas and practice rings as well.

You also have flexibility in sizing your barn when you choose a metal building. You can purchase steel buildings as small as 25 feet across or as large as 300 feet across. As far as length goes, your horse barns can be as long as you want them to be. You can even expand steel barns easily as you add more capacity if you plan ahead. You can just remove the end wall, add more framing and wall panels to the end and replace the end wall.

Health and Safety

Steel buildings are non-combustible, making them much safer for animal housing in general, since the building itself will not add fuel to a fire, nor will it collapse in case of a fire. This also generally results in lower insurance costs for the owners of steel barns.

Steel doesn’t provide food for insects, nor does it promote the growth of mold, offering a healthier general environment for your horses. In addition, because you can place openings virtually anywhere in the walls or roof of the building, it’s easy to provide proper ventilation. In fact, the Healthy House Institute recommends steel buildings for better indoor air quality.

Durability

Steel buildings must meet the most stringent building codes in any area in which you build them. That means they’ll stand up to just about anything Mother Nature tosses at them, including high force winds and heavy snow. In many cases, steel structures have remained standing after an environmental event has collapsed or heavily damaged surrounding buildings.

Eco-friendly

Steel is a green building material for many reasons. It is the most recycled material in the world, and many steel buildings contain almost 100% recycled steel. There is very little waste involved in erecting steel buildings, and in the end, steel barns can be dismantled and reassembled elsewhere, or taken to the recycler to start life anew again.

Steel Buildings – The Questions You Need to Answer

Thanks to advances in design engineering and metal fabrication, steel buildings are easier and more affordable to build than ever. That’s made them very popular for construction projects of all sizes and types, from factory buildings and warehouses, to barns and residential garages. Before you decide on the best metal building design for your needs, though, it’s important that you answer a few questions for yourself. The better you understand your own needs, the more likely it is that the design engineers can create the perfect steel building design for you. Consider these questions carefully before contacting a steel buildings supplier so you’ll have the answers ready when the salesman asks.

What Will You Use Your New Steel Building For?

A garage is a garage – but will you be putting two cars in it? Three? Do you also use your garage for storage? Do you want a roll-up overhead door or will the frame have to support a motor for an automatic door opener? Will you want to expand your metal building in the future? A little extra planning and expense now can save you a lot of cash in the future.

How Big Should Your Steel Building Be?

Steel buildings can be built in nearly any size. Obviously, the size you choose will be constrained by the amount of space you have to build on, but it’s not the be-all and end-all determinant. Research shows that most people underestimate the amount of space they actually need. That’s why most experts recommend figuring out how much space you think you need and then adding 20% to the measurement. And again, if you think you may need more space in the future, it makes sense to add the extra square footage now. Expanding your steel building in the future will involve removing the end cap, disrupting your use of the building and adding wall panels that will probably always look like an afterthought. In short, expanding steel buildings in the future is considerably more expensive than planning ahead and paying a little extra now for your future needs.

Which Type of Metal Building Is Right for You?

There are many different basic styles of steel buildings, and each of them offers specific benefits for different uses. Take the time to research the various styles and types of metal building to figure out which of them meets your needs best.

What Kind of Accessories Will You Want?

Keep in mind that steel buildings generally don’t come with the accessories you need to complete anything but the frame, walls and roof. When you specify “doors,” what you’ll get is a wall that’s got a door opening at the place where you want to place your door. It’s important that you let the design team know what accessories you’ll be adding to your building – windows, skylights, sliding doors, mezzanines, cranes or hoists – because they’ll have to make allowances for those things when they work up the design.

Knowing what you need before you start talking with a steel buildings supplier will make it easier for you to get exactly the building you need for your use. Don’t shop without knowing what you want. The more you know, the better your purchase will fit your needs.

Tips for Expanding Steel Buildings

So you did the smart thing a few years back and put up a new steel building – but as often happens when you add new storage or workspace capacity, you’ve outgrown it. Now that you need more space, it’s nice to know that it’s easy to expand steel buildings. Here’s what you should know about the processes used to expand steel buildings either lengthwise or widthwise.

Making Your Metal Building Wider

The easiest way to add to the width of your steel building is to add a lean-to. It’s a standard type of metal building expansion that allows you to extend the run of your roof line and add extra bays. This method is most commonly used with straight-walled steel buildings rather than with Quonset buildings or those with slanted walls.

In most cases, you can simply attach the main framing of your expansion to the main frame of your current building. This requires that you remove the siding and some of the secondary framing if you want to open the space between the main building and the expansion. Depending on the structural stability and current design of your metal building, you may opt to leave the interior framing and siding material in place and simply add a door or two for access to the new area.

A widthwise expansion can be tricky, and with some building designs, you can only do it you’ve planned ahead and had your original building designed to support later expansion so that the steel building engineers can build extra load-bearing capacity into the supports. You’ll also have to check with your local office of building codes to make sure that you’re allowed to expand your building.

Expanding Steel Buildings Lengthwise

Most Quonset buildings and hoop frame steel buildings can be easily expanded lengthwise, especially if you’ve planned ahead for easy expansion. As with widthwise expansions, engineers can add in extra load-bearing capacity if needed.

Essentially, adding length to a steel building is as easy as removing the end cap at the end you want to extend, and attaching the secondary framing for your new expansion to the original end-wall main frame and then to the first expansion frame you’re adding. Once you’ve built the framing, you add the wall panels, and finish it off by replacing the secondary framing and end-wall panels at the new end of your building.

Steel buildings are popular for industrial and storage uses, as well as for use as garages, barns and home offices in residential and agricultural communities. Knowing that you’ve got options to expand your new structure from the start make them even more attractive.

Steel Buildings Q&A’s

Steel buildings are growing in popularity for many reasons. In smaller markets, they are ideal for use as garages, home offices for professionals, barns, storage buildings and garden sheds. They’re cheap, durably and attractive. Pre-engineered steel buildings are relatively easy to assemble, easy enough that many homeowners take care of the erection themselves. Larger steel buildings serve as churches, warehouses, office buildings and even as homes. Want to know more about steel buildings? These ae some basic questions and answers about metal buildings.

What Are the Different types of Steel Buildings?

The most common steel building designs for smaller projects are arch or hoop-frame buildings, which consist of a frame made of steel arches covered with metal panels. There are a number of different styles of arch/hoop buildings – sometimes referred to as Quonset buildings. The styles include designs with straight sides and peaked roofs that make them look more like standard residential buildings.

Larger projects, including barns, factory buildings and warehouses, sometimes use clearspan construction, a method that reduces the number of internal supports needed. Arch buildings are also appropriate for many larger construction projects as well.

What Makes Steel Buildings Better Than Other Types of Construction?

Metal buildings offer many benefits that make them better suited for a lot of building projects. Steel is often the most affordable building material available, and there are other savings for those who decide on steel for their building projects. Because the components are shipped ready to assemble, construction time is greatly reduced, saving you lots of costs on labor during construction.

But there are more advantages than just money to using steel for your construction projects. Steel buildings require very little maintenance. Steel is durable. It doesn’t rot, expand or get infested with termites. Your steel building won’t mildew, and if you opt for finished, powder-coated steel, you won’t have to deal with rust and corrosion. On top of everything else, you won’t have to worry about repainting your metal building for 20 or more years.

Where Can I Buy a Steel Building?

You’ll find lots of vendors who sell steel buildings online, but it’s important to know who you’re buying from. There are two types of vendors for metal buildings: manufacturers who sell their own buildings and brokers who sell buildings made by many different manufacturers. In either case, it’s important to research the merchant and be sure you’re dealing with a reputable supplier.

Where Can I Learn More About Steel Buildings?

Any reputable supplier will be happy to answer all of your questions and provide you with materials to help you understand everything you need to know when buying a steel building.

10 Cool Facts About Steel Buildings

Steel buildings are everywhere around us. They’re in use as stand-along garages, carports, home offices, animal shelters, aviation hangars, boathouses, barns and too many more types of buildings to count. Chances are you pass at least one metal building in the course of your daily activities – and you may not even realize that it’s made of steel. How much do you really know about steel buildings? Check out these 10 cool facts to see how many of them you already knew.

Steel Buildings Are a Green Alternative

Yep, steel buildings are green. Most of them are made from 100% post-consumer recycled steel, and when they reach the end of their useful lives, they can be recycled again, which means they don’t put any more strain on the environment, nor end up in landfills.

Steel Buildings Are Affordable

Year after year, steel is the most affordable building material available for any construction use.

Steel Garages Come in Many Sizes

Many steel buildings are purpose-built. It’s easy to find a steel building the right size for your needs if you want a 1-car garage, a 2-car garage or bigger.

Every Steel Building Is Custom-Engineered for Your Site

Metal buildings must meet the codes and standards for your region. That’s why most companies that sell steel buildings custom-design and engineer every single building they sell to your specifications.

Arch Frame Steel Buildings Are Easy to Expand

In most cases, all you have to do is remove the end caps, add new panels to the existing structure and replace the old end wall.

Your Steel Building May Be A Reincarnated Car

In fact, since 95% of all steel in the United States is recycled, your new steel structure may contain steel that was once a refrigerator, a steel can, a steel suspension bridge or even another steel building.

A Steel Roof Can Last More than 50 Years

Most steel buildings are topped off with a steel roof, which can last more than 50 years. A roof made of traditional materials will last about 17 years.

Arch Steel Buildings Are Self-Supporting

Arch steel buildings – the classic Quonsest buildings – get their strength from the shape of the arch, which is self-supporting. The shape makes these buildings much stronger than typical construction styles. Most steel buildings can withstand heavy snow loads and stand up to strong winds.

Steel Homes Are Becoming More and More Popular

Would you live in a steel building? More people do every year. The residential steel building sector is one of the fastest growing parts of the metal building industry.

Steel Buildings Are Portable

Okay, you may not be able to pick them up and tuck them under your arm, but most steel buildings can be easily dismantled, moved and reassembled elsewhere.

Want to know more about steel buildings? Call a supplier with your questions to find out how metal buildings could fit your needs.

Adding to Your House? Think Steel Buildings

Considering an addition to your house? Whether your family needs a new bedroom, a mother-in-law apartment or a home theater room, a steel building could be the perfect solution. Steel buildings are popular choices for garages and workshops, but they’re not always the first type of construction that comes to mind when people are thinking of adding residential space to their homes. That’s a shame, because residential steel buildings offer a whole list of benefits for homeowners who want to add more living space to their homes. These are just a few of them.

Affordability

Steel buildings are more economical to build than structures built of any other material. Steel is nearly always the most affordable building material available, but that’s just the start of the savings. Because pre-engineered metal buildings are delivered ready to erect, they go up much faster than wood frame or masonry buildings, which saves you construction costs. In many cases, a steel-framed addition to your house can be built on a concrete slab foundation, reducing your costs even further. Finally, the cost of ownership for steel buildings – and by extension, steel additions – is lower than the ongoing cost of ownership than any other type of structure.

Durability

When you build an addition onto your house, you expect that it will last decades, but metal buildings are even more durable than wood or stone structures. Every steel building is constructed to meet or exceed the building codes for the area in which they are built, so you can be sure that they’ll withstand the typical weather and environmental events common in your region. The best manufacturers of steel buildings provide warranties on the different parts of their structures that range from 25 years on the wall paneling to 50 years on the steel frames to lifetime warranties on the fasteners used to hold the whole thing together.

Maintenance

Who wants to repaint their building addition a few years after putting it up? When you choose a quality metal building frame for your addition, you won’t have to worry about scraping and repainting for decades. Steel building panels are generally painted with a powder coating method that bonds the paint to the metal rather than floating it on top. It won’t peel or blister, and is generally resistant to rust, corrosion and discoloration. It won’t fade in the sun – and you certainly don’t have to worry about termites.

Whether you want to add a new bedroom wing to your home or build on a new home office, take a look at the many benefits and advantages when you choose steel buildings for your expansion needs.

Steel Buildings On Clearance – Can You Get a Sweet Deal?

If you’ve been looking at websites that sell steel buildings as garages, workshops, storage buildings and for other residential uses, chances are that you’ve run across at least one dealer site offering “clearance prices” on certain steel building styles and sizes. They proclaim that prices are slashed, you’ll get half off for a limited time only – and to prove it, they’ll often have a huge graphic of the “regular price” slashed out with a big red X and the new, lower clearance price listed right below it. Is it for real?

Probably not, according to most industry insiders. The fact is that steel buildings are nearly always designed and fabricated to order. That means that it’s not at all likely that any metal building dealer has any pre-fabricated steel buildings taking up room in his warehouse. And if he actually does, chances are good that the building he’s got sitting there won’t meet the building standards and codes for your area. The plain fact is that “clearance sales” on steel buildings are probably no more than high pressure sales tactics at best, and at the very least, using deceptive sales tactics by slashing an inflated “regular price.”

That’s just one of the things you should understand if you’re looking for a sweet deal on a steel building for your property. Here are some other things to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a good deal on a metal building.

“Everything Included” May Not Mean What You Think It Does

It’s not that steel building manufacturers are lying to you. It’s just that “everything” may not mean the same thing to you as it does in the construction industry. The price you’ll be quoted for your “complete” metal building will usually include everything you need to put up the shell of your garage or storage building, including the frame, the wall panels, the roof panels and the trim that fits over the seams at the corners and roof joins. Unless they’re specified in the contract with the metal building manufacturer, it will probably not include windows and doors – though it will include the openings for the doors and windows that you designate, and it very probably will not include the shipping charges.

You CAN Build It Yourself, But It’s Not As Easy As They Make It Sound

If you’re generally handy and have a few strong, generally handy friends, and your building is small enough, you probably can erect the steel building you buy without professional help. Some city and town governments, however, require that steel buildings be professionally assembled, and if the building is bigger than a workshop or storage shed, you may find it difficult to wrestle the heavy pieces into place without the help of some lifting equipment.

The most important thing you can do when shopping for storage buildings, garages, barns and other steel buildings is research. The more you know and understand about the business, the more likely it is that you’ll get the building you want out of the deal.